This press release comes from Bob Penney and the board of the Alaska Fisheries Conservation Alliance Inc. This initiative represents an effort to eliminate by public ballot initiative the set gillnet fleets in Cook Inlet and other non-subsistence parts of Alaska.
Dear Alaska Legislator;
As you may have heard, in the near future we will be pursuing an initiative to be placed on the 2016 ballot to ban the use of set nets in the non-subsistence areas of Alaska.
This initiative will do the same thing in portions of Alaska that has been done in the states of Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, New York, California, and most recently in the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon. In each of those instances, the public voted to restrict the use of set nets and since that first vote over 25 years ago, no set nets
What would our initiative do? It would only ban set nets in the five, present-day non-subsistence designated areas of Fairbanks, Anchorage, Valdez, Juneau, and Ketchikan. That is less than 10% of the state, but encompasses over 70% of the state’s population. Set nets in the rural or other 90% of our state would still be allowed as a means of fishing. This vote will not affect the rural areas.
Why is the initiative needed? In short, this initiative is all about conservation. Set nets are the most indiscriminate means of fishing allowed in State waters, with the largest amount of by-catch of any fishery. Because of how they are fixed in place, they usually catch and kill every species of fish that is swimming by, including our prized king salmon.
What will happen to existing set net permit holders in those areas? If the initiative passes, they will receive fair compensation for the value of their permits.
Many things have changed in Alaska since the early days of statehood and limited-entry commercial fishing. Today, we better understand the negative effects of utilizing set nets to indiscriminately kill fish stocks. We can and must do a better job of managing our precious fishery resources for the benefit of all Alaskans. The time has come for Alaskans to stand up and prioritize conservation.
We hope you will take a stand in support of our efforts.
Alaska Fisheries Conservation Alliance Inc.
Bob Penney,
Board Member
To learn more about how you can help stop this initiative, visit the Alaska Salmon Alliance Facebook page.
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